Artificial sweeteners

I'm pretty new to tea (at least loose tea) and was wondering what you all do for sweeteners. I'm diabetic, so I usually use artificial sweeter, but somehow it doesn't seem right to throw that stuff in a beautiflu cup of "real tea"!!! How about Splenda, maybe?!

One of the greatest gifts I got from Teachat was the brewing knowledge and confidence to start drinking tea unsweetened. I was a sweet/flavored tea-aholic when I came here... and now I primarily drink unflavored unsweetened tea. I had some medical problems and became aware through research on the Internet that artificial sweeteners may pose some health concerns.

I'd given up sugar sweetening a while back due to weight management, but the funny thing is, most people who use lots of artificial sweeteners (particularly aspartame) are heavier than those who use sugar... it seems to promote carb cravings/snacking. Sure enough, I lost about 12 lbs when I stopped all artificial sweeteners. Now, when I crave sweetness, I just use a very small amount of sugar, less than a tsp in a cup, and that works for me, but I rarely use any sugar at all.

The more you try better teas, the less you will want to cover up their flavors with added sweetness.

I am one of those people that still needs to have sugar in my tea. I guess I am a lightweight but while I do prefer raw sugar I have had to make due with artificial from time to time and think that Splenda is the best out there(that I have tried anyway). I find that you only have to use a tiny bit to get it to sweeten. I would try about a third of what you would use for regular sugar...You can always add more but can't take it away. Hope that helps and welcome to loose tea, you won't go back!!

It usually depends on the tea. I try to use raw sugar as often as possible, because it is less likely to interfere with the flavor of the tea. However, that is sometimes not convenient, so I use Splenda when I can't use sugar.

You may want to try looking for teas that are naturally sweet. As far as straight tea goes, Tung Ting oolong is some of the sweetest tea I've had. Some white teas can also be sweet. Also, pouchong tea (in between a green tea and an oolong) can be very sweet!

In herbal teas, many herbs impart a sweetness...I'm not a big fan of cinnamon, but I think it does add a hint of sweetness (without adding any sugar).

You also might want to look for teas that are less bitter--which might help you feel less of a need to counteract the bitterness with adding some form of sweetener. If you like darker teas, darker oolongs, especially the ones from Taiwan, can be much less bitter than black teas.

I rarely sweeten tea, but sometimes I'm looking for something a little dessert-y. In those cases I'll either use honey (not calorie free of course) or stevia, the only artificial sweetener I'll use. I just use a tiny bit per cup, not the entire packet ever, as it's very very sweet.

I'd given up sugar sweetening a while back due to weight management, but the funny thing is, most people who use lots of artificial sweeteners (particularly aspartame) are heavier than those who use sugar... it seems to promote carb cravings/snacking. Sure enough, I lost about 12 lbs when I stopped all artificial sweeteners. Now, when I crave sweetness, I just use a very small amount of sugar, less than a tsp in a cup, and that works for me, but I rarely use any sugar at all.

Very true. This is because aspartame and other sweeteners trick your brain into wanting more and more sugar. I work in a restaurant, and I have observed that people who drink diet drinks refill more often than other pops.

The more tea you drink unsweetened, the more you'll crave it unsweetened.

I agree that developing a taste for unsweetened tea is best.But if you must, Splenda is probably the best tasting artificial sweetener and Stevia is probably the best natural sweetener (if avoiding sugar). Stevia can add a bit of an aftertaste if too much is used, but there are some varieties out there that don't exhibit it as much.

I really have to cut down on sweetening my tea, was just reading up on the side effects of Splenda and Equal (which I sometimes use) and think that sugar is the safest bet if you must add sweetener (unless of course you can't have sugar.) Has anyone tried those little brown sugar crystals that Adagio sells? If so, I'd like to hear feedback on that.

Katy1977 wrote:I really have to cut down on sweetening my tea, was just reading up on the side effects of Splenda and Equal (which I sometimes use) and think that sugar is the safest bet if you must add sweetener (unless of course you can't have sugar.) Has anyone tried those little brown sugar crystals that Adagio sells? If so, I'd like to hear feedback on that.

Katy1977

I had severe side effects from using Splenda, so agree that you should stay away from it, Katy!

Since you´re diabetic the best thing would be to not drink your tea sweetened since artificial sweeteners can cause a number of additional health problems...and you don´t want to be consuming real sugar either.

If your tea tastes bitter without the sugar you can try brewing it for less time or with cooler water.

Also you can try different teas if you´re drinking flavoured tea try moving away from that, most companies use very bland, bitter teas as bases for their flavours.

Some good choices for teas that are easy to drink without sweetener are oolongs and chinese black teas.